Ian Curtis mural unveiled outside recording studio

A mural of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis has gone on display outside the studio where the band recorded one of their most enduring songs.

Atmosphere was recorded at Cargo Studios in Rochdale in 1979, the year before the Manchester-born frontman's death.

The image of Curtis has been painted onto the building, now Voltalab Sound Studios, by Stockport-based artist Jack Brett, who said he wanted to convey the singer's "frenetic energy and incredible power".

"I wanted to capture some of that angelic, heavenly movement so it's commemorating him and that song," he said.

The artwork was commissioned by Rochdale Council and Voltalab, a successor to Cargo Studios.

The space was used for recording by a host of post-punk icons from the north west of England including the Fall, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

“Joy Division recorded Atmosphere here, which happens to be one of my favourite songs," Mr Brett said.

"I think the lyrics, especially the lyric 'Don't walk away in silence', is really poignant," he said.

The new mural is the second of Curtis on display in the region, with the other painted on the side of a pub near Piccadilly Railway Station.

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